MUSIQUE FEMMES FESTIVAL #1
On October 14 and 15, 2023, the Musique Femmes Festival inaugurated its very first edition at Baixu, in Brussels. Conceived as a space for discovery, transmission and highlighting of women composers, this first event brought together more than twenty-five artists around four concerts exploring several centuries of musical creation.
From the Renaissance to contemporary creation, from chamber music to jazz and song, this first edition affirmed the festival's identity: an eclectic program, open to all styles and all generations. The public was able to rediscover major female composers such as Maddalena Casulana, Clara Schumann, Nadia Boulanger, Cécile Chaminade, Jennifer Higdon, and Sofia Gubaidulina, while also exploring the worlds of young Brussels-based composers invited to present their own works.
This inaugural edition also fostered dialogue between classical music, jazz, and contemporary music, featuring established performers and emerging talents all sharing a common goal: to give female composers their rightful place in the musical landscape of both yesterday and today. This ambition would become, from this very first edition, the hallmark of the Musique Femmes Festival.
Program
First day
Saturday 14/10 – Le Baixu
6:00 PM: Concert #1
Moving between classical music, contemporary creation, and jazz, the first concert of the Musique Femmes Festival brought together different styles and eras through the works of three major women figures in music.
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Four pieces by Cécile Chaminade
Performed by Karin Lechner -
Trio by Jennifer Higdon
Performed by Hugo Ranilla, violin; Federico Bragetti, cello; and Franco Panizon, piano -
Songs by Nina Simone
Performed by Francesca Murro, voice, and Vincent Bruyninckx, piano
8:00 PM: Scène Tremplin (Emerging Composers Showcase)
A true space for discovery, the Scène Tremplin highlighted four young composers with distinctive artistic voices: Juliette Recasens, Giulia Barbero, Vigdis Hansa Elst, and Nue. An evening dedicated to creation, offering audiences the opportunity to discover emerging voices from today’s musical landscape, spanning jazz, singer-songwriter traditions, and contemporary classical music.
Second day
Sunday 15/10 – Le Baixu
3:00 PM: Concert #3
This concert celebrated three major women composers who have shaped music history through their talent, creativity, and artistic vision. From Clara Schumann to Fanny Mendelssohn, and Nadia Boulanger, the programme offered a journey through Romanticism and the twentieth century, revealing the richness and sensitivity of their works.
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Works by Clara Schumann
Performed by Nikolaas Kende, solo piano -
La vie nouvelle by Nadia Boulanger
Performed by Kira Frolu, solo piano -
Works by Fanny Mendelssohn
Three pieces by Nadia Boulanger
Performed by Camille Jauvion, cello, and Maxime Fantaisie, piano
6:00 PM: Les Éclaireuses
The first edition of the Musique Femmes Festival concluded with Les Éclaireuses, a concert presented by Escapades Concerts. This closing evening celebrated the composers who, throughout history, paved the way for future generations, bringing the festival to a close with a programme that was both inspiring and unifying.
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Sonata for Violin and Piano, first movement by Henriette Van den Boorn-Coclet
Performed by Joanna Staruch-Smolec, violin, and Krzysztof Potocznik, piano -
“Handshake”, “Don’t Hold Me Back”, “River”, “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell
Performed by Neeka, voice, piano, and guitar -
“Serenade” and “Toccata” by Sofia Gubaidulina
“The Last Song” by Clarice Assad
“Ensueño y Danza” by Olga Amelkina-Vera
Performed by Sarah Badlissi, guitar -
“Liebst Du um Schönheit” by Clara Schumann
“Reflets dans l’immense tristesse” by Lili Boulanger
“Alleluia” by Cécile Chaminade
“The Empty Song” by Libby Larsen
Performed by Lisa Willems, voice, and Lionel Bams, piano / toy-boy
The MFF#1
In a few photos
